Kobe in PlayStation game

In a very good announcement, Kobe Bryant and his new, No. 24 Lakers jersey will be the starring attraction for NBA 07, the new PlayStation 2 video game that will be released this fall, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. said Friday.

In fact, the agreement, announced in front of a crowd of youngsters in the gymnasium of the Willowbrook Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles, means the first new major sports marketing deal for Bryant since sexual-assault charges were brought against him in July 2003, although the charges were dropped in September 2004.

However, financial terms of the sponsorship deal were not released.

Bryant's image will be featured on packaging for the video game, and he will be in television and print ads.

"Kobe was our option from the start, no question," said Sharon Shapiro, Sony Computer Entertainment's senior director of promotions and sports product marketing. Bryant said that the Sony contract "just naturally made sense because we're both trying to have a strong impact on our fields."

The Lakers player said that he is in regular contact with Shapiro to discuss advertising and marketing plans for the game that also will be produced for Sony's portable video game player and the PlayStation3 line to be introduced in November.

It's important to mention that Phoenix Suns star Amare Stoudemire was the featured player in the NBA 06 video game. That game was the ninth biggest seller in the $10.5-billion video games category during 2005, according to NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y.-based market research firm.

Video game fans — males between the ages of 14 and 34 buy most of the games — aren't likely to balk at buying a game because of Bryant's high-profile legal problems.

"I'd guess that 81 points speaks a lot louder," said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute, in reference to the Lakers star's single-game performance last season. "The video gamer is much more concerned with his on-the-court performance."

Sports marketers also said that Bryant, who will turn 28 next week, could be an effective spokesman for Sony even though the NBA has steadily added younger stars. Those include LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, three of the top five NBA draftees in 2003 who were named as tri-captains for the USA Basketball team.

Kobe will be back in October

Lakers' star Kobe Bryant says his right knee is pain free. That's why the player thinks he will be ready to go when training camp begins in October.

The popular basketball player noticed the great evolution of his injury: "By then I should be full bore, completely healed up, strong, ready to go,".

In fact, Bryant has been resting the knee this summer, but continues upper body work and some light work on the exercise bicycle. "With scar tissue, they really want me to let it settle, just let the scar tissue heal before you get out there and start running around," Bryant expressed. "Your scar tissue comes back too quickly, you'll wind up having to do the same procedure again in a year or two."

New Bryant's foundation will see the light

In a really great gesture, Kobe Bryant Thursday announced he is forming a foundation providing assistance to persons who need financial assistance to help make their dreams come true.

In fact, the first project of the Vivo Foundation is Vivo Del Mondo, a program providing an all-expense paid nine-day trip to Italy beginning next week for eight black and Latin college students.

The popular basketball player announced the recipients of the trip Thursday night at a West Los Angeles restaurant.

The goal of Vivo Del Mondo is to provide the students with an international travel experience that will offer them a broader and expanded context to discover and develop their life passions and encourage students to think, question and formulate their own beliefs, according to Kobe Bryant.

It's also good to mention that the students will visit Rome, Florence and Venice between August 8 to 16.

As we said, the students selected to take the trip were affiliated with the Hispanic College Fund and Phase3, which provides college scholarships for black students.

"This is very exiting for us to be able to have the opportunity to do something like this," Bryant said. "(With) me growing up oversees and being exposed to another world, another way of life, to be able to open those doors to somebody else is special."

It's important to keep in mind that Bryant spent eight years of his childhood in Italy while his father Joe was playing professional basketball there.

Team USA getting ready for Japan 2006

The team is ready. LeBron James joined fellow class of 2003 NBA draft members Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Kirk Hinrich in making the cut as the USA trimmed its roster to 15 for the World Basketball Championships.

According to experts, they were expected to pass the first round of cuts as the American squad wrapped up a six-day training camp here on Tuesday.

We must keep in mind that after letting Seattle SuperSonics guard Luke Ridnour and Charlotte Bobcats forward Adam Morrison go on Tuesday, American boss Mike Krzyzewski still has three more cuts to make before the Worlds which begin August 19 in Japan. "I spoke to them (Ridnour and Morrison) and they were understanding and very appreciative," Krzyzewski noticed.

In fact, this will be one of the youngest teams full of NBA stars the U.S. has sent to the Worlds. Krzyzewski had to retool the roster because a number of important players either declined to play for the national team or pulled out with injuries. That absent list includes guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers (knee injury), Paul Pierce of Boston (elbow) and rookie guard J.J. Redick of Orlando (back).

"If they (injuries and withdrawals) hadn't have happened, it for sure would have been tough to get down to 15 or 16 players, but these things take care of themselves," Krzyzewski admitted. Hinrich, 25, is no lock to survive that cut, but his 2003 draft classmates almost certainly are.

LeBron James, the 21-year-old superstar swingman of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Wade, the electric 24-year-old All-Star guard of the NBA champion Miami Heat, are the best of the bunch and among the 10 players chosen that are 25 or younger.

Other youngsters include Bosh (22), the All-Star forward of the Toronto Raptors, and Denver forward Carmelo Anthony (22); guards Gilbert Arenas of Washington (24) and Chris Paul of New Orleans (21); swingman Joe Johnson of Atlanta (25); forward-centre Dwight Howard of Orlando (20); and centre Amare Stoudemire of Phoenix (23).

"We do have a lot of young players," Krzyzewski said. "You could put seven or eight of those guys on a team and every one of them would be under 25 and they're good."

The elder statesmen include Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand, Washington forward Antawn Jamison, Sacramento centre Brad Miller and defensive-minded forwards Shane Battier of Houston and Bruce Bowen of San Antonio.

It's important to mention that Team USA has not won an international event since the 2000 Olympics, where it was pushed in both the semi-final and final by Lithuania and France.

What's more, in the 2002 World Championships at Indianapolis, the Americans lost three times and finished an embarrassing sixth place.

And in the 2004 Olympics at Athens, Greece, Team USA again lost three encounters and settled for a bronze medal.

In fact, if Team USA does not win the World Championships - which it has not done since 1994 - it must qualify through the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela. Time will tell.

Basketball World Cup may not see Kobe Bryant

Kobe went through a minor surgery on his right knee Saturday and is highly unlikely to play for the United States in the next world championships taking place this summer.

It's important to know that USA Basketball said Bryant is not expected to miss any of his commitments with his NBA team Los Angeles Lakers.

In fact, the announcement Saturday that the U.S. team will be without the NBA's leading scorer comes just five days before the Americans open their training camp in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball said that the Lakers' player will still attend part of the camp and will travel with the team in Asia for training in exhibitions in China and South Korea, and the FIBA world championships in Japan.

Experts fear, though, that full recovery from the procedure normally takes eight to 12 weeks, leaving it doubtful Bryant will be available for any of the world championships, which run from Aug. 19-Sept. 3.

We must mention tjat the U.S. has to choose its 12-man roster for the worlds before competition starts, and it can't be modified.

"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recovery, and we were pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo officially expressed. "Kobe being with the players will add to our squad chemistry and his presence will help provide valuable off court leadership."

ESPY Award touching dreams

Kobe Bryant is one of the nominated stars for the ESPY awards. But the happier person with that is Jason McElwain. He learned that he was nominated as well for an ESPY award while surfing the internet.

The emotion just came out. "I was really excited when I saw my name there on the screen," said McElwain, the Greece Athena High School student manager with autism who captivated the nation after scoring 20 points in just over four minutes in his only varsity basketball match. "To be in the same category as my idol, Kobe Bryant, is another dream come true."

As we said, McElwain, also known as J-Mac, received a nomination in the "Best Moment'' category, which also features Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers star who scored 81 points in an NBA match last season; the George Mason men's basketball squad that made a magical run to the 2006 Final Four; and Dakoda Dowd, a 13-year-old golfer who fulfilled her cancer-stricken mother's dream by playing in an LPGA championship.

"I'm aware that I've got some tough competition," J-Mac said. "I've already told my whole family and friends to vote."

It's important to know that the ESPYs, an Academy Awards-style show for sports, will be taped at Hollywood's Kodak Theater July 12 and televised on ESPN at 9 p.m. July 16. The event will be hosted by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

Kobe was on Radio Show

Bryant recently gave an interview in the popular radio show "Best Damn Sports Show Period" to speak about basketball and some of the most important moments of the last season. He mentioned his 81-point game and many other issues.

In one important quotes of the night, the popular basketball player admited he was unhappy with Phil Jackson as his coach, but they went over it to win the title.

About his top scoring record game, Kobe admits his past record was when he was 6 years old. At that time, he once scored 63. The 81 points, however, shocked the NBA world and he doesn't see anybody breaking the record in a very long time.